Fiji digital nomad visa: requirements (2026)

Parliament passed the Citizenship of Fiji (Amendment) Act 2026, increasing the qualifying period for citizenship by naturalisation from 5 to 8 of the preceding 10 years and making permanent residence a mandatory prerequisite to citizenship from 2030 (spouses) and 2035 (all applicants). This significantly lengthens the residency-to-citizenship ladder for all long-term foreign nationals.

The government tabled Bill No. 6 of 2026, proposing to expand lawful work for visitor permit holders from the current 14–21 day ceiling to up to one month, with longer periods possible by regulation for short-term business, consultancy, and study. This is the closest Fiji has come to legislating a formal short-stay remote-work authorisation, though no dedicated digital nomad visa has been created.

Fiji suspended all citizenship-by-naturalisation applications from October 2025 as Parliament prepared the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026. The suspension affected long-term residents who had accumulated the prior five-year qualifying period, creating uncertainty for expatriates — including remote workers — on pathways to permanent status.

The Ministry of Immigration deployed an online portal for permit and visa applications (September 2024), having already eliminated cash and cheque payments at counters from January 2024. The digital shift modernised residency application workflows for foreign nationals, including those holding Residence on Assured Income or work permits.

The Immigration (Exemption by Descent) Order 2023 took effect, granting visa- and work-permit-free entry and residence to children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of any person who was a Fiji citizen on 10 October 1970, regardless of ethnicity. This broadened the diaspora live-and-work pathway beyond the earlier iTaukei (VKB) exemption.

Parliament amended the Immigration Act 2003 to allow non-citizen iTaukei Fijians registered in the Vola Ni Kawa Bula (VKB) to enter, reside, and work in Fiji without obtaining any permit. The Attorney-General simultaneously announced a forthcoming order extending equivalent rights to descendants of all other ethnic groups, which was issued in October 2023.

Fiji removed all COVID-19 entry requirements — vaccination mandates, PCR tests, and bubble protocols — fully restoring the pre-pandemic visa-free tourist access of up to four months for most nationalities. This normalised conditions for remote workers wishing to enter on a standard visitor permit.

Fiji reopened its borders on 1 December 2021 — the first time since March 2020 — admitting vaccinated visitors who passed a rapid PCR test and stayed within certified tourism facilities. The phased reopening restored the primary entry route used by digital nomads and long-stay remote workers relying on the tourist visitor permit.

The Immigration Regulations 2007 (Section 48) formalised the Residence on Assured Income permit: non-citizens aged 45+ with overseas assets must deposit FJ$100,000 into a local bank account and maintain assured income, in exchange for long-term residency without the right to local employment. This remains the principal long-stay pathway for retirees and passive-income remote workers.

The Immigration Act 2003 (No. 17 of 2003) replaced the colonial-era Immigration Act Cap 88, establishing the current system of short-term work permits, long-term work permits, residence permits, and visitor permits. It is the foundational statute governing all immigration, residency, and work authorisation in Fiji and has been the basis of all subsequent amendments.